Xaalh and the Way of the Masks Tour - September 6 Bellingham, WA

On Saturday, September 6th 2025, a vibrant crowd gathered at Bellingham’s Maritime Heritage Park for the kickoff of the Xaalh and the Way of the Masks Totem Pole Journey.

Bellingham Public Rally and xaalh Way of the Masks Campaign, totem blessing

This moving rally, led by Se’Si’Le and Sierra Club was the first stop of a tour across the Pacific Northwest, uniting traditional masks, storytelling, and community voices to remind us that protecting public lands is a sacred responsibility — not just policy.  The rally focused on our efforts to stop the repeal of the Roadless Rule* by the USDA and US Forest Service.

This was a powerful cultural event rooted in Indigenous artistry and environmental activism. Led by Lummi Nation carver Jewell James, the 12-foot cedar totem pole, adorned with Coast Salish stories and symbols, served as a striking call to protect national forest lands threatened by proposed changes to the Roadless Rule*.

 
In the Media:  ‘We have a duty’: Saturday rally raises awareness about Roadless Rule change - Cascadia Daily News
 

A Two Week Journey

The event was just the beginning of a moving, two‑week journey through the Pacific Northwest, featuring both the totem pole and traditional masks. The message? Protecting public lands is not just policy — it's identity, legacy, and responsibility.

Leaders from Bellingham and Whatcom County spoke up, framing public land access as essential for community, economy, and heritage Cascadia Daily. If the repeal goes through, areas such as the 400,000 acres in Mt. Baker‑Snoqualmie National Forest may be opened to logging, and that’s a future this rally is gearing up to prevent.

 

You can learn all about the Xaahl and the Way of the Masks campaign and tour by visiting Se'Si'Le's dedicated page for the tour events. Se’Si’Le’s partners include: Sierra Club, Save our wild Salmon, Washington Conversation Action, Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center.

This was one of the most remarkable environmental rallies I have attended with the combined efforts of political and environmental individuals and groups, including activist & singer, Dana, and the lovely, meaningful carvings of the masks and totem brought from the Lummi Nation by tribal leaders, master carver and legal historian, Jewell James, and canoe organizer & leader and environmentalist, Freddie Lane. Their speeches were powerful and full of warning re: history and current threats to democracy and the environment, yet also warming in honoring each other’s values and calling out the youngest members of the audience and thanking them for being there since their future will indeed depend on the actions we all take together now. I am so grateful for the combined efforts of all in creating a very memorable gathering.
Peach Tarver, Indivisible Bellingham

 

*Roadless Rule:  An extremely popular conservation policy enacted in 2001 to protect more than 45 million acres of pristine lands in national forests across 36 states and Puerto Rico. The longstanding rule generally protects against new roadbuilding for logging and oil-and-gas drilling in unfragmented, backcountry forestlands that have never been disturbed by major development.  In 2025, the Trump administration is proposing repealing this rule, opening up these lands to logging and other destructive commercial activities.  Learn more about it on the Earthjustice website.

 
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